This new label on clothes could put you off buying them

Do you check the label on your clothes before purchasing them? If so, what are your selection criteria? Do you prefer cotton, a breathable material? Do you favor fabrics made in France, so you can buy locally? Soon, a new label could be calling your name.

Ecobalyse: displaying the environmental cost of clothing

On May 16, the Ministry of Ecological Transition announced that the European Commission had approved the project to display the environmental cost of clothing , a unit of measurement called “Ecobalyse.” This system still needs to be validated by the Council of State, and it should then come into force after the summer. Ecobalyse has two objectives: to inform consumers about the environmental impact of their purchases and to encourage brands to adopt more environmentally friendly practices . A good idea in the era of “ fast fashion ,” which is a real environmental and human disaster.

The textile industry: a huge environmental impact

We often talk about the carbon footprint of an airplane flight, meat consumption... but clothing also has an impact on the environment! Indeed, the textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world. “ It releases 240,000 tons of plastic microfibers each year. 20% of water pollution is attributable to the dyeing and treatment of clothing. It takes 7,500 liters of water to make a pair of cotton jeans,” as the government portal “ Our Environment ” reminds us. Greenpeace adds that polyester releases an astronomical quantity of microplastics into the oceans, and designates cotton as the “ king of pesticides .”

How is Ecobalysis calculated?

For more sustainable fashion that respects our planet: there's only one solution: rethink our consumption. The Ecobalyse tool could be one of the impetus in this direction, by establishing a sort of "DPE" for textiles. Developed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition in collaboration with ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition), Ecobalyse aims to calculate the environmental cost of clothing based on a multi-criteria approach and a complete analysis of the textile product life cycle.

How do you calculate the environmental cost of a t-shirt? Several criteria must be taken into account:

• Greenhouse gas emissions : linked to the production, transportation and use of clothing.
• Consumption of water and natural resources : particularly during fiber cultivation and manufacturing processes.
• Damage to biodiversity : consequences of agricultural and industrial practices.
• Various pollution : including the release of plastic microfibers and the use of chemicals.
• Product durability : assessed using a durability coefficient ranging from 0.5 to 1.5.
• The breadth of the range offered by the brand.
• The average length of time clothing is on the market .
• The type of material used.
• The incentive to repair .
• Displaying the traceability of manufacturing stages .

This coefficient makes it possible to modulate the environmental score according to the practices of the brands, favoring those which adopt more sustainable approaches.

The deployment of this system is planned before the end of 2025, initially on a voluntary basis. It remains to be seen who will want to wash their dirty (and polluting) laundry in public, and who won't!